Montpelier, VT – Today, Treasurer Mike Pieciak announced the Claim Your Money campaign, an initiative to return at least $1 million of unclaimed property to Vermonters in the month of February. The announcement was made in connection with National Unclaimed Property Day, Feb. 1 to encourage Vermonters to search for unclaimed property.
“Vermonters have over $130 million of unclaimed property, and as the state faces an affordability crisis, our office is working hard to get as much of that money as we can back into Vermonters’ pockets,” said Treasurer Pieciak. “When we return unclaimed property, that’s money back to families, small businesses, and our economy. I encourage Vermonters to spread the word and search MissingMoney.com for unclaimed property—whether it's for themselves, a family member, their local government, or a local business.”
Unclaimed property includes forgotten assets like uncashed checks, security deposits, investments, insurance proceeds, and other financial property. Financial institutions annually report these properties and turn them over to the state. The Treasurer’s Office safeguards assets until claimed by rightful owners or heirs. Unclaimed property can belong to individuals, businesses, nonprofits, local media organizations, government entities, and more.
The Claim Your Money campaign will include outreach events to return unclaimed property to local businesses and non-profits, a targeted paid advertising campaign, and collaboration with Vermont legislators to boost outreach efforts—all with the goal of returning at least $1 million to Vermonters by the end of the month.
Since the start of FY25 (July 1, 2024), the Treasurer’s Office has returned over $6 million of unclaimed funds to their rightful owners—more than double the average amount typically returned by this time of year. While the office is returning more missing money than ever, the amount of unclaimed property held by the state continues to rise, with over $1.5 million added to the state’s holdings since the start of the fiscal year.
To address the growing amount of funds held by the state, Treasurer Pieciak has taken an innovative approach, leading successful proactive initiatives to return money directly to Vermonters and eliminating administrative hurdles.
Pieciak recently launched the MoneyBack Program, a partnership with Governor Scott to return $1.3 million of unclaimed property to over 5,000 Vermonters before the holidays. The program built on a successful pilot program that matched data the Tax Department is allowed to share with the state’s unclaimed property database to verify the identities of Vermonters with unclaimed property ranging from $100 to $500.
So far, over 3,500 Vermonters have deposited or cashed checks from the MoneyBack program, a total of over $850,000. Checks were mailed to Vermonters in late December before the holidays following an initial notice. Treasurer Pieciak urges Vermonters to be on the lookout for any checks received in the mail from the State and to deposit or cash them promptly if they have not already done so.
Treasurer Pieciak highlighted that one of the biggest challenges in returning unclaimed property is assuring Vermonters that the opportunity is legitimate. “We’ve contacted businesses and individuals to tell them we have their money to return, and they almost can’t believe it,” said Pieciak. “The more we spread the word, the more people will know this is a real opportunity to reclaim missing funds, and the more money will go rightfully back to our communities.”
All Vermonters are encouraged to visit missingmoney.com to check for unclaimed property. For inquiries regarding a claim or assistance with the claims process, contact the Treasurer’s Office Unclaimed Property Division at (802) 828-2407 or unclaimed.property@vermont.gov.
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